Bhopal : Governor Mangubhai Patel said that the exquisite stone art of Khajuraho will get global recognition at the Khajuraho Dance Festival. It will leave an indelible mark not only on the state and the country but also on the cultural landscape of the world. Governor Shri Patel was addressing the 48th Khajuraho Dance Festival-2022’ at world famous tourist destination Khajuraho on ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’.
Governor Shri Patel said that dance is a universal art, which has originated along with human life. It is a confluence of craft, drama, music, and literature. In the Puranas, it has been considered as the destroyer of evil and the medium of divine worship. Khajuraho Dance Festival is a dignified event of the practice of this classical dance. Governor Shri Patel inaugurated the function by lighting the lamp along with Tourism, Culture and Spiritual Minister Usha Thakur, Minister for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Shri Omprakash Sakhlecha and MP Shri Vishnu Dutt Sharma. He also offered floral tributes at the portrait of Mother India.
Center of reference will be established for classical dance – Minister Sushri Thakur
Culture and Tourism Minister Sushri Thakur said that spirituality is the underlying vision of all the arts in India. Dance styles have emerged from the traditions of temples in India. Bharatanatyam from the temple of Tanjore, Odissi dance from the temple of Lord Jagannath Puri, Kathak inspired by the dance of Natwara Krishna, Kathakali from Guruvayur temple in Kerala, Mohiniattam based on the Mohini avatar of Lord Vishnu, and Manipuri dance from the Vaishnava sect. Dance is a rhythmic presentation of all kinds of expressions. The entire universe also operates due to this rhythm. The sculptures of Khajuraho in the form of these rhythmic dance postures are the living tableaux of Indian philosophy. The four Purusharthas of Sanatan Dharma represent Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksha. It is a journey from the outer world to the inner world. In view of the greatness of dance and its contribution to human life, a center of classical dance context will be established in Khajuraho.
Minister Shri Sakhlecha said that the combination of art and culture was established in the form of temples between 9th to 12th century by the Bundelas. This temple is a wonderful specimen of geometry, mathematics, and architecture. The sculptures here depict the art of living, which is not seen anywhere in the world.
MP Shri V.D. Sharma said that Khajuraho is a confluence of art, culture, and spirituality. It has the distinction of being one of the 17 iconic cities of the country along with being the land of Mritangeshwar Bhagwan and the World Heritage Site. The cultural and tourism development of Khajuraho will attain new heights with the construction of a world class auditorium and the organization of the Khajuraho Dance Festival.
Principal Secretary Culture and Tourism Shri Shivshekhar Shukla said that the stage of Khajuraho dance festival holds a special place in the world. This stage is very important for many eminent artists of the country and abroad. It is the endeavor of the government that in the coming times, artists from different cultures of the country and abroad will be given an opportunity to showcase their talent. He thanked all the dignitaries and ambassadors and high commissioners of 8 countries for attending the Khajuraho dance festival. He said that the presence of all of you has given more grandeur and dignity to this function.
Ambassadors and high commissioners of 8 countries witness performances
Ambassadors and High Commissioners of 8 countries joined the family to witness the performances of the 48th Khajuraho Dance Festival. Ambassadors and High Commissioners from Korea, Argentina, Vietnam, Brunei, Finland, Malaysia, Thailand, and Lao attended the festival. Ambassador of Vietnam Shri Pham Sanh Chau, Lao Ambassador Shri Bounneme Chauanghom, Finland Ambassador Shri Ritva Koukku-Ronde, Brunei High Commissioner Shri Dato Alaihuddin Mohamed Taha, and Shri Hamid Abdul Hidayat, High Commissioner of Malaysia, enjoyed a fascinating and captivating dance performance by the family.
Rashtriya Kalidas Samman and Rajya Roopankar Kala Puraskar conferred
In the ceremony, Rashtriya Kalidas Samman, was given for classical dance to Sunaina Hazari Lal for the year 2019-20 and Smt. Shanta and Shri V.P. Dhananjayan for the year 2020-21. They were given a prize money of Rs 2 lakh, a plaque of honor, a shawl and a shriphal. Also, the Rajya Roopankar Kala awards were presented for the year 2022. Devkrishna Jatashankar Joshi Award was given to Priya Sisodia of Badnavar, Mukund Sakharam Bhand Award to Shri Swapan Tarafdar of Indore, Syed Haider Raza Award to Shri Durgesh Birthare of Jabalpur, Dattatreya Damodar Devlalikar Award to Shri Narendra Jatav of Ashoknagar, Jagdish Swaminathan Award to Shri Sanjay Dhawale of Ashok Nagar, Vishnu Chinchalkar Award to Shri Muni Sharma of Gwalior, Narayan Shridhar Bendre Award to Shri Agnesh Kerketta of Bhopal, Raghunath Krishnarao Phadke Award to Shri Rituraj Shrivastava of Jabalpur, Ram Manohar Sinha Award to Sushri Jyoti Singh of Sagar and Lakshmi Shankar Rajput award to Dr. Sonali Chouhan (Peethwe) of Dewas.
On the first day of Khajuraho dance festival, the disciples of Pandit Birju Maharaj from Kalashram New Delhi, gave an enchanting performance of the Kathak group. The rhythm of the feet on the beat of the tabla captivated the audience. In this sequence, an attractive presentation of Bharatnatyam group dance was given by Shanta-VP Dhananjayan and group. The mesmerizing performances of the accomplished artists in a musical environment with traditional costumes captivated the audience. Odissi by Sujatha Mohapatra Bhubaneshwar, Bharatnatyam by Nirupama Rajendra Bengaluru and Kathak by Samagama and Kuchipudi by Jairama Rao and group on the second day of the ceremony.
The dance festival is being organized with the joint effort of Madhya Pradesh Tourism Board, Archaeological Survey of India, and District Administration Chhatarpur along with Ustad Alauddin Khan Sangeet and Kala Academy of Culture Department, Madhya Pradesh Sanskriti Parishad. Director Culture Shri Aditi Kumar Tripathi, Director Alauddin Khan Sangeet and Kala Akademi Shri Rahul Rastogi along with senior officers of the department and district administration were present in the function.
‘Khajuraho Dance Festival’ from February 20 to 26
The Khajuraho Dance Festival, following the ancient tradition, like last year, will become the aura of the temple premises this year also. It will be an unmatched confluence of devotion to God and dance. Renowned artists of the country and the world will give their dance performances in the 48th dance festival. The celebrations will continue till 26 February.
In the ceremony, the cultural landscape of Indian dance-styles and the exhibition of art-travel focus on Kathak, the art exhibition Art-Mart from other countries of the world including India, Kalavarta, a dialogue between artists and art experts, art contribution of senior painter Shri Laxminarayan Bhavsar will take place. There will be major events like Pranati, Indigenous Knowledge fair and Parampara – Art Tradition with skill and venture of films centered on artists – Cinematography. The dance festival is being organized with the joint effort of Madhya Pradesh Tourism Board, Archaeological Survey of India, and District Administration Chhatarpur along with Ustad Alauddin Khan Sangeet and Kala Academy of Culture Department, Madhya Pradesh Sanskriti Parishad.
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